The ONE thing which unites every business in the world

Hi Gordon, I really liked your post!

I've found something Jim Straw has said to be very clarifying to me. Jim Straw calls it the "Prime Directive" of business (makes me think of Star Trek!). It's that to make money, "you have to sell something to somebody." It's the ONE thing that every single business has in common.

What amazes me is the sheer variety of the kind of things which can be sold.
They can be physical or virtual products.
It could mean selling the TIME using a product, which is leasing.
It could mean selling a MEMBERSHIP to a club or service.
It could mean selling ADVERTISING in any of a huge variety of ways.
It could mean selling things you can get immediately for FREE
or selling things which take years to make.
It could mean selling otherwise hard-to-get INFORMATION.
That information could be one page (like a coat of arms, or a greeting card) or it could be thousands of pages worth of info.
It could mean selling CONTACTS (that's what "finder's fees" are all about).
It could mean selling your own sevices, or even SOMEONE ELSE'S services.
It could mean selling PRESTIGE.
It could also mean selling an EXPERIENCE (like those adventure travel companies).
And the more I think of this, the more things pop into my mind.... But I'll stop here before it gets too long. :)

I find the business world fascinating, especially the sheer variety of things which can be sold. And the one thing which I believe unites every business is that idea, "you have to sell something to someone."

Thanks Gordon, your post was very inspiring! :)

Dien Rice